Thermal heating device



Dec. 22, 1959 w. PEREZ THERMAL HEATING DEVICE Original Filed April 9.1953 INVENTOR Mam/w P5952 BY @N249 Mm n ATTORNEYS United States Patent OTHERMAL HEATING DEVICE William Perez, Mineola, N.Y.

rigiual application April 9, 1953, Serial No. 351,285,

now Patent No. 2,835,480, dated May 20, 1958. Divided and thisapplication January 21, 1958, Serial No. 710,353

6 Claims. (Cl. 219- 41) This invention relates to thermal devices andmore particularly to heating or cooking apparatus utilizing thermal pinsfor heating or cooking a mass which may be in solid or liquid form.

This invention is a division of my co-pending patent application SerialNo. 351,285, filed April 9, 1953, now Pat. No. 2,835,480.

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel heating pinsor thermal elements adapted to be inserted in the mass to be heated orcooked.

Another object of the invention is 'to provide novel thermal pins forheating or cooking a mass by inserting the thermal element into theexterior of the body to be heated or cooked, said thermal elementincluding a unitary structure having the heating element per seassociated therewith or confined within a unitary housing and includingiluid means to facilitate heating of the mass.

Another object of the invention is to provide a unitary thermal elementincluding a housing having uid means therein to be heated by an isolatedheating element within the container.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from aperusal of the following detailed descriptions taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a thermal element or pin in which anenclosed heating element'is extended into one end of the pin toevaporate the liquid and wherein the pin is adapted for securemcnt to ahandle so that the pin may be thrust by hand into a liquid or massdesired to be heated, portions of the pin being broken away at theopposite ends thereof to show the interior construction of the pin;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a still further form of a thermalelement or pin wherein one end of the pin is heated by an electricheating coil Surrounding the pin and with terminals being provided on acasing for the connection of electric wires for the conducting ofelectric current to the heating element.

Referring to the drawings and more Particularly to Fig. 1 there is shownone form of the invention in the form of a heating pin 197 that carriesits own heating element 198 and which is adapted to be connected to ahandle or other support so that it can be portable and easily thrustinto a body of liquid to be heated or even into an edible mass for thepurpose of cooking the same from the interior thereof. This heating pinor prod 197 includes an outer tube 199 and an inner tube 200 thatcontains the heating element 198 and wires 201 and 202 extendingthereinto. This inner tube extends out through the end of the outer tube199 and has a threaded enlargement 203 by which the tube 197 can befixed to a handle or to a plate support, not shown. The outer tube iswelded about the inner tube 200 as indicated at 204 so as to maintainthe vacuum in the liquid container or outer tube. The lower end of theinner tube is closed Mice as indicated at 205 and the heating element198 is disposed therein.

The lower end of the outer tube is closed in any convenient manner butmay be closed by means including a valve plug 206 welded to the outertube 199 as indicated at 207. After the air is evacuated from the outertube 199, a needle valve element 208 is tightened in a threaded centralopening against a seat 209 thereof. On the head of the plug there iswelded a pointed closure 210 to make certain that the pin 197 iseffectively hermetically sealed. A small body of liquid 211 which willbecome heated by the heating element 198 and the vapors thereof willextend along the upper portion of the tube 199 so as to heat the wallthereof and the mass into which the pin 197 has been thrust. The wires201 and 202 extend through an insulating element 212 in the threadedenlarged end 203 of the inner tube 200. These wires can be connected bymeans of a plug and cable with any electrical outlet.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a still further form of the inventioncomprising a heating pin with a heating element surrounding one end pfthe pin. This heating pin is indicated generally at 215 and comprises atube 216 closed at one end as indicated at 217 and at the other end witha valve plug arrangement 218 similar to the valve plug arrangement whichmay be shown in Fig. 1.

Surrounding the closed end of the tube 217 is a heating coil 219 havingits ends connected respectively with terminals 220 and 221 fixed to anouter casing 222 fixed over the end 217 of the tube 216 and secured tothe exterior of the tube 216 at its open end 223. Wires can be attachedto the respective terminals 220 and 221 by tightening the respectivenuts 224 and 225. From such .wires the pin 215 can be supported in aliquid or the pin can be thrust into a meat mass and supported by themass. Internal cooking of the meat mass would be effected.

lt should now be apparent that there has been provided various showingsof the present heating arrangement wherein the pins are unitary, butwhich may be adapted for connection with other pins or supports, incooking vessels, in an industrial tank, or adapted for hot plates orovens. lt will also be apparent that the invention has application foruse with thermal pins adapted to be connected to a handle so that thepin unit can be used in a heating prod and with the heating elementcontained in the same.

In all of these pins, substantially all air and other gases will havebeen evacuated from the tube and there remains only the liquid and itsvapors within the tube. When the tube is heated sufciently, the liquidis evaporated so that its vapors rise and the latent heat of thesevapors is transmitted to the wall of the tube and taken away by thematerial or medium to be heated surrounding the upper eind of the tube.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there is provided a thermalheating unit which includes a unitary structure having a heating elementper se associated therewith, the heating element may be conned within aunitary housing having the uid means therein to facilitate the heatingof the mass, or the thermal element may be disposed exteriorly of saidunitary housing. It is to be noted that, in both Figs. 1 and 2, theelectrical heating element is an envelope separate from the envelopecontaining the liquid or uid to be vaporized.

While changes may be made in the detail construction, it is to beunderstood that such changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

l. A thermal device for aiding heating of a mass comprising ahermetically sealed tube shaped for insertion into a mass to be heated,said tube being at least partially evacuated of gases and containing asmall volume of liguid which will vaporize when a rst area of the tubein which the liquid has settled is heated to a predeterminedtemperature, and such that the vapors conducted to a second area of thetube will condense to give olf their latent heat when said second areaof the tube is contained in a mass having a sufficiently lowertemperature, and electrical heating means carried by said hermeticallysealed tube and being disposed in relation therewith to heat said smallvolume of liquid.

2. A thermal device for aiding the heating of a mass as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said electrical heating means is disposed internally ofsaid hermetically sealed tube.

3. A thermal device for aiding the heating of a mass as set forth inclaim 2, wherein said heating means includes a heating element havingelectrical terminals disposed externally of said sealed tube forconnecting same to a source of electrical energy.

4. A thermal device for aiding the heating of a mass as set forth inclaim 3, wherein said heating means includes an envelope for saidheating element.

5. A thermal device for aiding the cooking of a mass as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said electrical heating means is disposed externallyo-f said hermetically sealed tube.

6. A thermal device for aiding the heating of a mass as set forth inclaim 5, wherein the heating means which is disposed externally of saidhermetically sealed tube, and said hermetically sealed tube per se, areboth disposed within an outer envelope, and electrical terminal meanscarried by said outer envelope connected to a source of energy forenergizing said heating means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 403,11()Johnson et al. May 14, 1889 1,178,777 Apfel Apr. 11, 1916 1,238,124Frickey Aug. 28, 1917 2,049,838 Haussauer Aug. 4, 1936 2,350,429 Troupe.Tune 6, 1944 2,820,134 Kobayashi Jan. 14, 1958

